6 steps to personalizing your resume to each job

(If you're not happy with your resume, here's an article I wrote on how to write an effective resume, even if you hate writing resumes)

The amount of information available on how to write a resume is staggering. You're never going to create a resume/cover letter that appeals to everyone.

Here's what I know to be true for each person, industry and job.

Your resume should be:

1. An extension of your personal brand
2. Proof that you can do the job
3. Personalized to each job
4. Easy to read

As a classic non-linear person, let's start with #3.

How to personalize your resume: a guide

What needs to be personalized?

The good news is that not everything needs to be personalized. You should be applying for jobs that you CAN do and that you WANT to do. This means that your personal brand should stand up for the job, and you should never change your brand to match a job.

Things that should be personalized:

• Cover letter
• Highlights
• Language
• Additional Skills

1. Is this job a good fit? Get your decision making strategic plan out

Don't have one? That's okay, take a few minutes to go through a simple exercise. Write down everything you value, your strengths, and what you bring to the job. The list should be as long and authentic as possible.

2. Find your job description and summarize the values and description

3. Match your values & strengths with the job values

The values and strengths that I have are now in blue. This is a good amount of matches, and I feel confident that this is a good match for my strengths and values. (Not shown: matching the strengths/values to the company itself. This is done the same way).

4. Choose the best strength and the best value

Analyze what the job description is really asking.

Red is communicating creatively, Blue is personalizing the experience, Green is sales/results driven marketing.

From here, it becomes apparent that a resume focused on "personalizing the experience" won't be as effective as a resume focused on communication skills and results from marketing experiences.

My value to focus on is analytics and my strength is my ability to communicate.

5. Personalize your cover letter

The goal of your cover letter should be to give them a snapshot of who you are, and make them want to keep reading your resume. A really good one will have them reaching for the phone to interview you.

*** This is a very quick example, written in about 3 minutes. Had I actually been applying for a job I would have spent a lot more time choosing the most impactful words, editing the flow and language to match the language used on the company website. This is meant to show that personalizing each resume is not as daunting as thought and can be relatively formulaic.

6. Personalize your resume

• Choose metrics for your highlight section that will prove that you can do this job. If there is a focus on effective communication, strategy, hitting revenue goals, etc in the job description, focus on those. Additionally, look at the company culture and put highlights that will show you're a good fit.
• Scan the job description for key skills and put them in your "Additional Skills" section. If you don't have the skill, don't lie. Match the language. For example, if the JD asks for "Microsoft Office Suite", write that instead of "Proficient in excel, PowerPoint, etc"
• Remember: Your brand should be consistent. While personalizing your cover letter and highlighted metrics is an effective way to get noticed, you should not sacrifice your brand to create a resume you THINK they want to see.

Stay authentic my friends, and good luck! Here if you need help.